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Post exercise migraines

05-20-2012, 07:50 PM

Hi All,

I have been suffering from post exercise migraines on and off for about the last 18 months. Obviously I've had a lot of people tell me it is caused by dehydration but I currently ensure that I drink plenty of water and electrolyte drinks before and after exercising. I normally get the migraines within 30 minutes of finishing exercise and they usually last for a long period of time. I normally do two 90 trainings a week one 90 minute game of soccer meaning some weeks I will have 3 nights of barely any sleep due to very painful migraines. Does anyone out there have any dieting/primal tips that they have used to combat migraines?

Have you seen a Dr for these yet? I used to get migraines all the time throughout my college years up until primal recently, when I was eating a SAD. Since I switched to Primal with High fat (50+ %) and low carbs, I've had none in 20 days (major accomplishment). You may want to get checked out to ensure that there are no other issues. Good luck. Migraines are NOT FUN!

Comment

i get migraines - very few now, but i used to get them relatively frequently, and it's definitely become the case that if a dehydration or tension headache turns up, something in my body has the potential to twig out and go VESSELS DILATE! and chuck me into a full-blown migraine rather than just a plain old headache. the trick that my GP told me that seems to work for all but the really terrible ones is to head it off at the pass - that is, as soon as you feel you might get a migraine, like right when you get an aura or a first feeling of tension or pain, pop some ibuprofen or paracetamol. you have to do this within a 10-20 minute window of noticing it, though, or things just tumble downhill. 90% of the time that will stop my headache from becoming crippling and get me back on track. for the really rough ones that make it over the basic painkiller level, or for when you miss the window, i take something called Migard on prescription that's not a painkiller per se but causes constriction of the cerebral vessels involved. i'd say, try the ibuprofen trick (pop one or two right after your workout with plenty of water as you're already doing) and see if that does the job. good luck.

Every once in a while I'll get one when I get really angry. With that much blood flowing through, it just causes a bad one. I'm thinking maybe this could be what is happening to you, but I can't be sure. Have you looked into the actual difference between headaches and migraines? Most people think migraines are really bad headaches, but there are some distinct differences and you treat them very differently. You can actually have a painless migraine and a really brutal headache.

I've had a ton of success keeping migraines at bay with a magnesium supplement and no gluten. To be honest, I don't even do well with gluten free grains except for white rice, so I avoid them all together.

Durp.

Comment

About a year ago, I got a severe headache while swimming. In the next two days, I had a similar headache with any exertion; they were quickly over--but quite severe. My primary doctor--who worried about a possible brain aneurysm-- sent me to a neurologist for a complete workup. At that time, the neurologist suspected what's called 'exercise-induced migraine.' It turned out that I didn't have that and that occasional migraines can be caused my even minor hormonal shifts in the body.

You may be having these 'exercise-induced' migraines that my neurologist was concerned about, but, as I learned, any headache should be explored because there are benign as well as serious issues that can be involved. I'd advise getting checked out just to be sure that this is not serious. If it is that phenomenon of exercise-induced headaches, my understanding is that you have 3 choices--endure the headaches, stop exercising, or take meds to prevent the headaches. Diet alone won't 'cure' them.

Comment

I have been suffering from post exercise migraines on and off for about the last 18 months. Obviously I've had a lot of people tell me it is caused by dehydration but I currently ensure that I drink plenty of water and electrolyte drinks before and after exercising. I normally get the migraines within 30 minutes of finishing exercise and they usually last for a long period of time. I normally do two 90 trainings a week one 90 minute game of soccer meaning some weeks I will have 3 nights of barely any sleep due to very painful migraines. Does anyone out there have any dieting/primal tips that they have used to combat migraines?

Any help would be appreciated,

Ben.

According to the BBS Q&A book, try breathing more regularly when you exercise. And maybe do some neck exercises as warm up.

Comment

I know your pain, I spent years of post exercise migraines that were brutal (close to 20 yrs). I started by cutting out chocolate and peanuts, then gluten, all before going primal (still working on be being strictly primal). These steps have helped and I have not had an issue in 2012. I do still see a chiropractor once a month and have a post workout protein shake with an electrolyte replacement added in. If all else fails I found immitrex worked good for me as a last resort. I was taking up to 9 immitrexs a month, but with the above dietary changes, I have not had to take one in 2012. Good luck!

Comment

I have been suffering from post exercise migraines on and off for about the last 18 months. Obviously I've had a lot of people tell me it is caused by dehydration but I currently ensure that I drink plenty of water and electrolyte drinks before and after exercising. I normally get the migraines within 30 minutes of finishing exercise and they usually last for a long period of time. I normally do two 90 trainings a week one 90 minute game of soccer meaning some weeks I will have 3 nights of barely any sleep due to very painful migraines. Does anyone out there have any dieting/primal tips that they have used to combat migraines?

Any help would be appreciated,

Ben.

I started my triathlete training last year, and will be going for my first attempt coming year.
I have experienced the same problem over my training period
What solution did you find feasible?